MPs debate footballer's bill on diabetes in sport

A former non-league footballer from Redditch has said it felt "surreal" to see the House of Commons debate whether there should be more guidelines and provisions in sport for those with diabetes.

Chris Bright, who has Type 1 diabetes, approached his MP Chris Bloore to raise the matter after claiming national sport bodies across the UK had provisions for other disabilities but not diabetes.

Mr Bright, a former Bromsgrove Sporting footballer, said he wanted to "channel" his condition into "something positive".

He said: "There's 3.5 million people living with a hidden disability and when it comes to sport there is very little provision, no policies realistically and very few guidelines."

Mr Bright added: "There was a study done recently that was probably one of the key elements that has brought this debate about, which basically scraped the websites and spoke to the national governing bodies for sport.

"There were 184 across the UK which were asked if they had a policy or guidelines around diabetes, and there were only four national governing bodies which had a guideline or a policy around diabetes."

The debate, held on Wednesday, was the first debate on the potential bill that has called for better provision made for people with diabetes to give them equitable access to physical activity.

There will need to be at least another four stages in the House of Commons before it is progressed to the House of Lords.

'Things you wouldn't expect'

Mr Bright was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when he was eight years old.

"Ultimately, it was life-changing. One minute I was a carefree child with no worries and no concerns," he said.

"I could just run out onto the football pitch and not worry and take part in the thing I loved doing, and then the next minute I had to do loads of injections, finger prick monitoring and really think about everything I was consuming.

"You have to make really quite difficult, complex adjustments - things you wouldn't expect."

'It's a life sentence'

Anne-Louise Pridden, a mum from Bromsgrove whose 15-year-old daughter has the same condition as Mr Bright, said: "They used to say diabetes was a death sentence. Well now, it's a life sentence until that cure comes."

She added: "If her blood sugar level is really low, it may sound great to some people to have jelly babies, have a chocolate bar, have Lucozade, but any Type 1 diabetic will tell you sugar is not that fun, it's not that exciting.

"I don't think there's enough information and support out there for someone on the daily basis of what to do if a child wants to go and do sport. I don't think enough clubs understand or even some schools."